Tintin Forums

Doesn't Haddock also have some fairly physical moments? Given that he doesn't seem to be in exceptionally great shape and is a heavy drinker and moderate smoker, he'd *have* to be in his 40s, not his 50s, by which age he'd surely have trouble keeping up with Tintin (who I always think of as being in his early 20s). Haddock also has no grey hair! I'm 39 and I have my share, for heaven's sake, so he can't be 50.

The characters in general are plainly frozen in time, as any enduring comics character tends to be. It's like the Archie characters, or Peanuts, or even those Marvel and DC guys - the world changes but the characters themselves age very little. (This is why, incidentally, it was probably a mistake to put Tintin in bell-bottoms in Tintin and the Picaros; however dated his old attire was in real terms, the character, and thus his appearance, is timeless).

Balthazar, your relating yourself and your age to that of the Tintin characters was priceless :)) I never thought about it, but I suppose I too will have to confront being older than Haddock in the next few years. My goodness.

I agree Morganson,about the other characters,but not Tintin,in Tintin in American,Tintin is certainly in his early teens,as well as for the earlier books,and in the later ones,he was in his late teens.

this is my opinion exactly Cutts

Totally agree with the Cutts(es). XP

I hate to disagree with an author about his character, but I have a hard time seeing a fourteen-year-old travelling from Belgium to the Soviet Union with no other company than his dog, or that he already would have been a reporter. The same goes for when he went to Congo, America, India, China and so on. And like Biglu said, already in "The broken ear", we see that Tintin has his own apartment. How young could you be and still have your own apartment in 1930s Belgium? Not to mention that Tintin not only can drive a car, but even fly an airplane. If we assumed that he was a bit older, so he would have been 18 years old in "Tintin in Soviet" and 22 years old in "Tintin and the Picaros", it would be more realistic.

I'm 21, and I would say Tintin is about my age. Which is quite depressing since I'm sitting in a college dorm posting online, whereas Tintin...well I don't need to tell you. Haddock I see in his 40's, while Professor Calculus I see in his 50's. The Thom(p)sons are probably between Haddock and Calculus. Even by 1920's standards,I can't see Tintin as a professional reporter at 14. A Journalist requires a college degree.

I'd pin him at any age from 18 to 24...but in the books., in the laws of Fiction and in our hearts, he is ageless. <3

I read in Tintin the Complete Companion that Herge said that Tintin starts the series at 14 or 15 and ages 5 years by Picaros.

Also I was just reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez and got this idea, Alcazar and Tapioca both have 200 year lifespans like the dictator in Autumn of the Patriarch! And just like the General they've died before. When Tapioca said its tradition to execute the deposed head of state its because he and Alcazar have both executed each other, but they came back. I don't know, Tintin and magical realism just seem to go together.

How does anyone get to become a journalist at fifteen?? I'm sixteen and still stuck in dang sophomore year! :P Maybe it's because he's incredibly smart. Or the Belgians put more faith in their youth back then.

The same way that the Incas miraculously forgot what an eclipse is. A good deal of Tintin (or any adventure story) requires some willing suspension of disbelief. But I hear you, at 15 I could barely write a decent English essay let alone become a journalist!